Land of the Rising Fun

America is the only major economy in the world that does not guarantee its workers any paid vacation. France gets 30 days, the United Kingdom gets 28, Austria takes home 22, and even the notoriously hard working Japanese are guaranteed ten days by law. The average U.S. worker gets just 10 days of paid vacation and nearly a quarter of the workforce receives none at all. With so little time to spare it's harder than ever for Americans to get away from it all, but this Labor Day weekend the Missouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw Boulevard; 314-577-9400 or www.mobot.org) is here to help -- by bringing Japan to St. Louis! The annual Japanese Festival is packed to the gills with things to do and see including tours of the Japanese Garden Teahouse Island, live sumo wrestling, martial arts demonstrations and plenty of traditional dancing and music. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday (August 31 through September 2). Admission is $5 to $15, which is just a fraction of what you'd pay to send the family to the land of the of the rising sun -- and you're spared the jet lag to boot!
Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2013